Gabrielle Union

An impressively talented African-American actress, Gabrielle Union has carved out a niche after landing plum roles in a fiercely competitive field thanks to her consistent yet versatile performances....
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"He has so many shoes he built a room just for his tennis shoes; it’s a shoe vault with special shelving, lighting... If you came to visit you're gonna have to stay in a hotel because that extra guest room is a shoe vault." Actress Gabrielle Union moans about basketball pro husband Dwayne Wade's love for shoes.

"If we could just get brown people in Middle Earth - why can't there be a black hobbit?" Actress Gabrielle Union was upset Peter Jackson didn't include people of colour in his Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.

Actress Gabrielle Union asked her husband Dwayne Wade to sign a pre-nuptial agreement before their wedding "to make it clear" that she does not need the basketball player's money. The Bad Boys II star is adamant she is a success in her own right, and made sure the Miami Heat player signed the paperwork before their wedding in August (14) to prove she is an independent woman.
Union tells Yahoo! Style, "For women in Hollywood, when they're coupling, everything is about the brand. Everything is about latching on to a rising star, so you can kick your heels up. That's never been my story, ever. I make sure to let people know all of the hard work that's gone into my career...
"Now that it's time to get married to a man who happens to play basketball and has done well for himself, I want to make it clear that I have in no way hitched my wagon to his star. I have my own wagon and star."
Union was previously married to footballer Chris Howard between 2001 and 2006.

Gabrielle Union suffered major hairloss while filming new comedy Top Five with Chris Rock after having to dye her locks several times.
The Think Like a Man actress plays a blonde reality star in the movie and she admits lightening her hair was not a hit at home when it started coming out in clumps.
She tells the New York Post, "I have dark hair, and the process to get it blonde (for the film) made my hair fall out. Some people gain weight for a role, I practically went bald for a role. I lost so much hair!
"(My husband Dwyane Wade) loved the blonde and thought I looked sexy. But once I went bald, he was like, 'I'm ready for you to go back!'"

Funnyman Chris Rock has taken a serious stance on the lack of colour in the mainstream movie industry in a new essay for The Hollywood Reporter. The comedian insists there has been a noticeable lack of African-American actors in the most talked-about films and TV shows of the year, and he cannot understand why actresses in particular are being overlooked when it comes to casting top dramas.
He writes, "How about True Detective? I never heard anyone go, 'Is it going to be Amy Adams or Gabrielle Union?' for that show. I didn't hear one black girl's name on those lists. Not one. Literally everyone in town was up for that part, unless you were black.
"I haven't read the script, but something tells me if Gabrielle Union were Colin Farrell's wife (in the upcoming second season), it wouldn't change a thing.
"And there are almost no black women in film. You can go to whole movies and not see one black woman. They'll throw a black guy a bone. OK, here's a black guy. But is there a single black woman in Interstellar? Or Gone Girl? Birdman? The Purge? Neighbors? I'm not sure there are. I don't remember them.
"I go to the movies almost every week, and I can go a month and not see a black woman having an actual speaking part in a movie. That's the truth."

Rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs posted an emotional video on Instagram.com to show his despair after learning a police officer will not face trial over the death of African-American Eric Garner. Garner died in July (14) after New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo apparently placed him in a chokehold during an arrest for illegally selling cigarettes.
On Wednesday (03Dec14), a grand jury ruled against indicting Pantaleo on criminal charges, 10 days after officials in Ferguson, Missouri declined to press charges against another officer, who fatally shot unarmed teenager Michael Brown.
A number of celebrities took to social media websites to express their outrage over the latest grand jury decision, including Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock, John Legend and actress Gabrielle Union.
Combs also posted a video showing him sitting in front of the camera looking visibly upset as he rubs his face and says, "This ain't right... this is not right. To continue to let this go on... it's enough, it's enough, man."
He added in the caption, "Honestly my emotions are all over the place. We as artists, myself included, all have to step up and be better leaders in our communities. It's a hard burden to bear, but we have been chosen whether we like it or not. We need to do whatever we can in a positive way, to help unite people of all colors in this injustice!... This has to stop and we as a people are the only ones that can stop it. I truly do not have the right to preach, but I do have the right to speak."
Thousands of activists took to the streets of New York on Wednesday to protest against the decision, including A Tribe Called Quest star Q-Tip.

"We had a dance battle, as you do at black weddings, and apparently, Common was a professional break dancer. He gave us some combination of Ozone and Turbo from (dance film) Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. But I don't think he was drunk, I think that was pure soberness." Actress Gabrielle Union was impressed with rapper friend Common's smooth moves on the dance floor at her August (14) nuptials.

Singer John Legend, rapper will.i.am and actress Gabrielle Union are among the celebrities who have expressed their outrage after learning a New York City police officer responsible for the death of an African-American man will not face charges. Eric Garner died on 17 July (14) after he was placed in a chokehold by Daniel Pantaleo during an arrest in Staten Island, where he had been caught illegally selling single cigarettes.
The incident was captured on camera and footage showed the victim gasping, "I can't breathe", before his body went limp.
His death was ruled a homicide by the New York City medical examiner, but a grand jury decided on Wednesday (03Dec14) that Pantaleo would not be indicted.
The ruling emerged 10 days after officials in Ferguson, Missouri declined to press charges against another white officer, who fatally shot unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in August (14) during a shoplifting investigation.
Legend was one of the first stars to publicly comment on the news, tweeting, "I am stunned by the failure to indict Eric Garner's killer... 'I. CAN'T. BREATHE.' God Damn."
Actress Union also used her social networking account to rant, "Unarmed man put n2 (into) ILLEGAL chokehold, says he can't breathe, caught on tape, later dies &no charges?! Tell us again ALL our lives matter... I have no words left... just angry tears thru (sic) gritted teeth. RIPEricGarner RIPHumanity RIPCompassion May the Lord have mercy..."
Former Desperate Housewives star Marcia Cross adds, "My rage and sorrow are overwhelming me about Eric Garner. This has to STOP. NOW", and music mogul-turned-social commentator Russell Simmons writes, "i am deeply disappointed in the non-indictment of the police officer who killed Eric Garner. The Dept. of Justice must step in now."
Rapper Big Boi and actors Jesse Williams, Dule Hill and Amber Riley also tweeted their anger at the lack of indictment, while will.i.am added, "A cop chokes a man to death for selling cigarettes. He isn't charged for murder... I think all these privatized prisons are only built for black men in America...".
Meanwhile, A Tribe Called Quest star Q-Tip decided to rally supporters to protest the decision in New York.
He wrote, "6pm union square", before calling on fellow rappers, including Nas and Lil Wayne to lend their backing to the cause, urging them to "join us!".
Q-Tip was one of thousands of activists who took to the streets of New York on Wednesday night to protest the grand jury decision.
A large crowd of citizens calling for justice even formed around Rockefeller Center, where hundreds of revellers lined the streets while stars took the stage to perform at the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
During the live broadcast, host Matt Lauer addressed the protest, and said, "We are ushering the holiday season in here, and even as we do so, we have to mention it's been a bit of an emotional and even tumultuous day here in New York City... We have to say we hope it will be a healthy and joyous and a peaceful holiday season for everyone."

"I'm a huge sports fan and built a sports bar in our home." Gabrielle Union has a dedicated room in her Miami, Florida home where she cheers on her favourite sports teams. The actress is married to Miami Heat basketball star Dwyane Wade.

Featured in "H-E Double Hockey Sticks," an ABC TV-movie presentation of "The Wonderful World of Disney"

Landed a recurring role on ABC's mystery drama series "FlashForward"

Played the love interest to Will Smith's character in "Bad Boys II"

Summary

An impressively talented African-American actress, Gabrielle Union has carved out a niche after landing plum roles in a fiercely competitive field thanks to her consistent yet versatile performances. While studying sociology at UCLA, this Omaha native interned at a modeling agency in her senior year in a bid to fit the most into her school schedule. When agents noted that clients often asked after her and were disappointed that she was a behind-the-scenes employee only, Union decided to take the plunge, and following graduation, she began modeling, seeing the high-paying job as a great way to pay off her sizable student loans. Before long, Union's look would migrate from the page to the screen, and in 1996, she was featured in episodes of "Moesha" (UPN) and "Malibu Shores" (NBC). A natural talent, Union landed parts in quick succession, including a recurring turn on The WB's family drama series "7th Heaven". Here she essayed the role of Keesha Hamilton, eldest daughter of African Methodist Episcopal Reverend Hamilton (Dorian Harewood), a close friend of the central Camden family. Carrying on the role occasionally from 1996-1998, Union was impressive in her infrequent guest shots. A 1997 two-episode recurring role on the syndicated sci-fi spin-off "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" also helped launch the ingénue's career.

Reportedly began dating in 2008; went public as a couple in 2010; Married in Miami.

Education

Name

Cuesta College

University of California, Los Angeles

University of Nebraska

Notes

Union was beaten and raped while working part time at a shoe store in 1992. The rapist was sentenced to 33 years in prison.

"I'm just riding this train as long as I can. As long as I'm having fun, I'll do it. When it stops being fun, I'll try something else. Maybe I'll open a chain of Popeye's Chicken." – Union on her career, quoted in the September 2000 E! Online feature "Who the Hell Is This?"

"My character in 'The Brothers' was originally written as a wimp. The director said, 'You're entirely too strong a presence to sell this. Do it your way.'" – Union to New York's Daily News, Feb. 25, 2001

"A lot of roles I've gotten have not been written black, so I've never felt that limited. There are so many quoted-unquoted black movies, and the only reason they're marketed like that is because there's black people in them. 'Deliver Us From Eva' is about family. It's for everybody, not just black folks." – Union to Movieline September 2002

On the Russo brothers..."They had seen something in me that I hadn't seen in myself, and when people you respect see something in you that you didn't know you had, it's amazing. I have low esteem as an actress because I'm not formally trained, everything I've learned, I've learned from doing it, so I fear people will discover I'm a fraud or something." – Union to Interview magazine, September 2002

In Aug. 2010, an Illinois judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against Union by Siohvaughn Wade, the estranged wife of her boyfriend Dwayne Wade. Siohvaughn accused Union and the NBA superstar of engaging in "sexual foreplay" in front of her kids that allegedly left them psychologically damaged. The court ruled in favor of Union, citing improper jurisdiction.